An Italian Train Ticket Online Purchase Alternative

Bootsnall Travel adds a booking option to their portal

Trenitalia.com‘s Web site has definitely been improving in recent years, and more folks are reporting success with the non-Italian credit card ticket purchase after recent revamping of the payment process.

For people who are still having problems, a ticket booking system now available at Bootsnall Travel (driven by Italiarail.com) allows you to book Italian train tickets in dollars, using credit card of your choice. This means travelers who don’t have success with the regular TrenItalia site can still purchase tickets in advance and take advantage of significant discounts. Travelers can choose the popular and convenient “ticketless” option through this system: your ticket is issued as an electronic PDF with a PNR reservation code – simply board the train, find your assigned seats, and show the PNR to the conductor when he passes.

To book tickets, go first to the Trenitalia.com site and research routes and costs. It’s comprehensible, manageable and in English, and the best place to determine what your options are. Then, if your credit card isn’t accepted at purchase, hop over to Bootsnall to book. (Railpasses are also available, but be sure to calculate fares: in-country rail passes are rarely a good value unless you’re doing a great deal of high-speed rail travel.)

At the moment, there is an oddly named $5 “shipping” fee associated with any purchase (but if you’re already saving bunches by by purchasing discounted tickets for a number of travelers, it might be worth it).

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